The coastal emporion of Pech Maho (Aude, France) suffered a brutal destruction just before 200 BC. Recent excavations allow us to reconsider what was previously interpreted as a simple ‘war layer’. Two phases have to be distinguished: one related to an act of war, another related to a short reoccupation preceding the abandonment of the settlement. A set of ritual practices characterise the latter, with evidence of banquets preceded by animal sacrifice, and a collective funerary pyre. This ritualistic closure of the site is clearly linked to the very special conditions surrounding its destruction and the status of those who died there.